


The Cake War

by LucidaCentury (Sephora909)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dark Castle, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 11:12:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1855960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephora909/pseuds/LucidaCentury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumplestiltskin won’t get any chocolate cake since he insulted Belle’s culinary talents. Too proud to apologize, he uses all his tricks to try to steal the cake, including his reptilian charm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic to celebrate my 50th follower on Tumblr (and all the love I get on AO3 too, I love you AO3 readers, you're great). I meant it to be a one shot, but I guess my imagination got a wee bit too excited about Rumbelle and chocolate cakes, so I think it'll be a two chapters long fic instead. I'll probably write this chapter 2 after I'm done with chapter 4 of _Magic comes with a Price_ (don't worry, you won't have to wait until I have 100 followers).  
>  And if you go see the Tumblr version of this fic ([here](http://lucidacentury.tumblr.com/tagged/The-Cake-War/chrono)), you'll see the illustration I made with a picture of a chocolate cake which I baked myself for mother's day. Enjoy :D

As usual when he came home from a deal, Rumplestiltskin slumped into his armchair in the dining room. This time, however, both journeys to and from the distant land of Agrabah had consumed a major amount of magic. With his last strengths, he carefully placed the bag containing his new prized possession on the long table before him. Knowing the effort would made him faint, he didn’t immediately hide it in a safe place. He wanted to be awake when Belle came to welcome him back as she had taken the habit of doing. The stubborn imp engaged in a fight with his heavy eyelids. If he let them close, he would sleep for hours. Couldn’t let Belle walk in on him sleeping… Yet, even the Dark One wasn’t powerful enough to delay his payment for using magic. Feeling utterly exhausted was a small price to pay for what he won in his deal. In no time, he fell asleep with a small smile on his lips, thinking about how he would savour his delicious prize.

When Rumplestiltskin’s eyes fluttered open, the very first thing he noticed was the empty table. Still dizzy with sleep, he jumped to his feet and nearly fell before he clutched the edge of the table. Gone. He had traveled to the other side of the world and back to find his ridiculously large amount of chocolate missing! A mighty roar echoed throughout the castle, followed by a violent bang on the table with two clenched fists. An urge to destroy everything within his reach made his fingers twitch restlessly. Yet finding his sweets was a priority. Unleashing his fury could wait until he had the miserable thief shaking in front of him.

That thought came with an issue: no one could come in his castle unless he was inside and up. Could his protection spells fade while magic forced him to sleep? As unlikely as it was, he wished it was true. The only other possibility was that Belle had taken his sweets, and he’d rather not think about what he would have to do then. How could the Dark One choose between his lovely caretaker and his delicious chocolate? Both of them were delightful compagnons.

For a moment, he considered forgetting everything about this whole ordeal and do as if nothing tragic happened. But this foolish thought got wiped away as soon as it came when he picked up the sweet aroma of the dark treat. Like a gundog, he sniffed his way to his prey, blindly following the trail until he stopped short in the doorway of the kitchens.

Perched on the highest step of the downward staircase, he opened his eyes to stare at his surroundings as if they were new to him. Belle was at the far end of the room, below the windows. She was humming a cheerful tone to herself as she worked on something he couldn’t see before her. Then his eyes caught the chocolate she was about to lick off her fingers. One purple cloud of magic later, he caught her wrist in a tight grip.

Screaming and jumping in surprise at his sudden appearance beside her, Belle stared at Rumplestiltskin with wide eyes.

“Rumple! I thought you were sleeping. You really should be resting after going on journeys for so long.”

Her soft voice sounded like an insult to Rumplestiltskin’s ears. He hold her wrist up before her as a proof of her guilt.

“Why sending me back to sleep? You already stole the slumbering beast’s treasure.”

His overlarge irises never left her blue ones. No self-reproach, no apologies. Nothing but a mild embarrassment. Then she looked away, blushing.

“I wanted it to be a surprise for when you wake up,” she almost whispered, glancing at her gift on the work surface. “I guess I should have asked first, I’m sorry. There’s still plenty of bars, though.”

The Dark One heard none of her apologies. He only saw the glorious cake before him. His grip on Belle’s wrist slackened until he completely let her go. Slowly, not believing his eyes, he crouched until he was at eye level with this miraculous confection. Evenly round-shaped, the cake was a mystery hidden beneath a shimmering layer of rich melted dark chocolate. The freshly applied icing was so smooth that with a bit more light, Rumplestiltskin could have seen his reflection in it.

“Are you okay?” Belle asked hesitantly. “You look like you’re on drugs. Are you a chocolate addict?”

He snorted. She always over-reacted, his little maid. And worried about him, even if was the Dark One. In an attempt to remind her of his position, he straightened and looked down at her. As ever, she was unimpressed and smiled like she knew she shouldn’t do it but couldn’t help it.

“Now you know how it feels when I see you anywhere near a book.”

Mildly shocked, Belle took the wooden spoon she used to mix the icing and gently hit Rumplestiltskin on the nose. As if under a spell, he froze for a moment. He really hadn’t expected her to dare to smudge chocolate on him. So the girl didn’t fear him anymore. At all.

“You’re quite a fetching sight, now,” Belle mocked, then licked the spoon clean.

Rumplestiltskin could have said the same hadn’t he been suddenly unable to talk. Belle licking chocolate was definitely the most fetching sight he had ever seen in 300 years. He swallowed hard and turned away to another temptation, back to the cake. Only then did he clean his nose.

“So, what magic did you use to bake such a wonderful thing?”

“Magic? I only used my own two hands. And the kitchen tools too, of course.”

“No, it can’t be. It’s just too perfect. And chocolate is so rare, how would you know how to use it?”

At first, Belle thought he was only teasing her, but now he was downright accusing her of tricking him into believing she had skills!

“I’ll have you know that I grew up in a seaside town near a port where ships from all over the world moored. Chocolate wasn’t that rare at the castle. And when I was a child, I loved chocolate cakes so much that the cooks taught me how to bake them. So, years of practice is my only magic.”

The cautious doubt in Rumple’s eyes didn’t fade. If anything, it increased.

“If you’re so skilled, then why do you keep burning my meals?”

The burned meals again! They had argued about that over and over, and they still had no solution because Rumplestiltskin was more happy to tease her about it than eating something that wasn’t charred. It wasn’t Belle’s fault if she couldn’t keep track of time when reading a book while food was cooking. In that moment, she could have thrown the thing closest to her hand at him. But since it meant ruining the cake, she settled for throwing her arms in the air in frustration.

“That’s it, Rumplestiltskin! I’m done with you! You won’t get to taste even just a crumb of that cake!”

At once, all the wonder, suspicion and amusement vanished from his face. Then for one second, his expression mirrored that of a lost and beaten up puppy. Belle was glad he didn’t keep looking at her this way: she could have given him the whole cake and hugged him while apologizing for hours on end. She couldn’t trust herself around puppies. Instead, his features contorted in an ugly – and unjustified – indignation that went along with a crisis of possessiveness.

“What? But why? This is my chocolate! I brought it back from the other side of the globe!”

“And this is my cake! I have spent two hours in this kitchen cooking it without magic! So unless it’s to apologize, don’t you dare set a foot in this room.”

Both maid and master were glaring at each other, stubbornly refusing to be the first to turn their black stare away. Rumplestiltskin had always considered his ugliness as intimidating, but he was forced to admit that it had no effect on Belle. She, on the contrary, had blue eyes sparkling with fury on her side. Her outrage was shading her cheeks with a sweet pink blush. To his great shame, her magnificent anger was completely disarming him. Could she really chase him out of his own kitchen and only get a shy stupid smile as punishment? Before he could make a fool of himself, he snapped his gaping mouth shut.

“This is not over, Belle. I will have that cake,” the Dark One solemnly declared.

The small brunette looked at him with her mocking eyes and sly smile. She never would have thought she’d have so much fun when she agreed to go with Rumplestiltskin. It was quite comical to see the most powerful and feared man of this world fussing over a simple chocolate cake.

“Well, that remains to be seen.”

Damn! She was infuriating! Rumplestiltskin stomped out of the kitchen with his head brimming with schemes. He had lost their staring battle, but the cake war wasn’t over. The Dark One would not be bullied by his little maid! That chocolate cake would be his.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very very sorry for the people who waited for this second chapter. I know it's been more than seven months, but I figured (extremely) late was better than never. My apologies again, I hope you'll still like this chapter.

Since she came to the Dark Castle, Belle knew Rumplestiltskin was a mysterious man, but she had never expected him to be so passionate about something as trifle as chocolate. She was even more surprised that he hadn’t just reminded her she was only his caretaker and thus in no position to forbid him to eat the cake. She thought that he’d remember that and walk back in the room in no time, but minutes passed and there was still no sight of him. What could he be up to? Of course, he would never hurt her, but he could still make a mess in her kitchen, or worst, ruin the cake. On second thought, he looked at it with such devotion that it was as much out of harm’s way as Belle was. She was so curious about it that she didn’t dare get out of the kitchen. He seemed to take this issue so seriously that she didn’t want to disappoint him by leaving the precious confection without surveillance. Besides, he still hadn’t apologized for accusing her of using magic to bake and take all the credit for herself. Yes, she decided, whatever his game was, she would play along with it.

With a sly smile, she put some water to boil. If she was to wait for Rumplestiltskin to strike, she’d better get ready with a nice cup of tea. Belle was considering cutting a piece of the cake to taste it when she heard a small meow coming from the top of the stairs. She looked up to see a miserable-looking kitten. Its brown fur was matted with mud and its wide eyes stared at her with distress. Belle’s first thought was to go help the poor creature, but she stopped at the bottom of the staircase. What if it was a trick from Rumplestiltskin to get the cake? She shrugged and took the kitten in her arms to pet it.

“Rumplestiltskin!” she shouted at the open door of the kitchen, thinking he must be nearby, listening to know if his plan worked. “If you think you can distract me enough so you can sneak in and out unnoticed, you are mistaken.”

At her words, a purple cloud of magic enveloped the kitten in her arms. Belle gasped, had the good reflex not to drop the animal, and blew the smoke away to reveal a puppy instead of a cat.

“Rumple! You can’t change an animal’s species like that!”

The little dog looked up at her with such big eyes that there was no way she would send it back to the Dark One who would probably change it back into whatever it was to begin with.

“Let’s get you cleaned up and then I’ll give you some treat, alright?”

The puppy barked happily and wagged its tail in agreement. Belle smiled fondly at it and kissed its head. Tea could wait, she decided as she poured the hot water in a basin and mixed it with cold water. When it was cool enough, she washed the small animal who strangely stole quick glances at the chocolate cake. She had an idea about why it did that, but she prayed she was wrong. At least, if Rumplestiltskin was indeed the dog, he didn’t seem to mind her touch. So maybe it really wasn’t Rumple, after all. She couldn’t picture him sitting in his bath while she rubbed his back with soap. Lately, he was having trouble holding her gaze, so there was no way he’d let her anywhere near him while he was naked. Although it would be nice… Anyway, her mind was drifting to an odd place – the gutter – so she ignored it in favor of drying the little beast.

“How does a nice piece of meat sound, huh?”

Instead of barking again, the dog whined. Oh god. She was right. She just had her hands all over Rumplestiltskin. While he was a puppy. Belle would never see dogs in the same way anymore.

“Rumplestiltskin,” she began with an irritated tone, “dogs don’t eat chocolate. Now you’d better run along.”

The cute dog turned into a grumpy Rumplestiltskin who was, hopefully, fully clothed. Caught but unashamed, he jumped from the table he was sitting on and looked down at Belle with a sneer.

“Thank you for the bath,” he said with contempt before he strutted out of the kitchen.

His maid sighed and shook her head in disapproval. She had been so close to sending him to his room… How was it that the most powerful man in the world was such a child? A fond smile lit up her face. This was the way she liked him and she wouldn’t want him to change for all the gold he spun.

As soon as Rumplestiltskin got back to his lab, he prepared his disguise for his second plan. His appearance and voice matched those of the simpleton he was impersonating, but lowering his intellectual level would be more challenging. Hopefully, Belle wouldn’t notice a thing before the cake ended up in his stomach. He headed to the kitchen, all the while pretending to wander through the castle to make his lie look more real. When he got close enough for Belle to hear, he began to call his own name. His maid had orders to stay away from his guests, so he wasn’t surprised that she didn’t run to help him like she did whenever he called her with his own voice. However, the kitchen door was open. Rumplestiltskin found his caretaker peeling potatoes at the table in the middle of the room.

“Huh, hello?” he asked with as much surprise as incertitude.

Belle quickly turned her head toward him. At first, her eyes widened when they met him, but she quickly frowned as she stared at his face. She couldn’t already had figured him out, could she?

“Are you a prisoner of Rumplestiltskin?” he added in hope the stupidity of his question would distract her. “I can help you escape.”

The remainder of her imprisonment cast a shadow of sadness over Belle’s face. Even her sweet smile couldn’t hide it.

“That’s very nice of you, but…” she hesitates and sighs “I don’t need saving. In fact, you should probably go. If Rumplestiltskin finds you here with me, you’re very likely to leave this castle as a snail.”

For once, Rumple didn’t have to conceal his admiration for her wit. He allowed himself to smile and chuckle. Since Belle started to ignore him — no doubt to make him go away — he went down the stairs and sat beside her at a respectful distance.

“I’m David, and…”

“And I take it you’re very fond of snails.”

Rumple know how to take a hint, but Charming clearly didn’t, so he went on.

“Please, at least listen to me.”

Belle sighed and finally looked back at him. Her annoyed stare wasn't a good sign, but at least he had her attention.

“I really wouldn't like you to get in trouble because of me.”

“Don't worry about me, I'm... sort of friend with Rumplestiltskin. I've bothered him enough to know I won't end up squashed under his boot.”

Her suspicious gaze turned into a curious one. She was clearly having a hard time stopping herself from asking him about his friendship with the sorcerer. Eventually, she bit her lips and surpassed her curiosity.

“Alright, but if your problem is serious enough that you came to seek Rumplestiltskin's help, then I don't see what a simple maid like me can do for you.”

The Dark One tried to use the prince's charm to make Belle more friendly. To his surprise, his maid didn't react one bit to his dashing smile with healthy white teeth. If anything, it made her frown. She really was nothing like other princesses.

“My deal can wait. I'm just concerned about you. You must be very courageous to refuse to leave this place.”

It seemed that whatever he said, it only made her frown. Though now she seemed interested in him, he wasn't sure he would get the cake like that.

“If you are his 'sort of friend', then you know he's not that bad.”

“Still, you must be so lonely in this empty castle, and yet you're trying to make me leave. You also have to cook for the monster who keeps you all for himself, and by the look of it, you're not only making him soup.”

With Charming's manicured finger, he pointed to the cake and laughed. Belle didn't share his good humor. Instead of smiling, she pulled a face, her disgust and anger written on her features. What had he done wrong again? At least, he was damaging Charming's reputation and not his.

“If you are just going to denigrate Rumplestiltskin, you really should leave,” she warned him. “I won't tell him that you talked to me.”

For once, the deal maker was out of words. He gaped at her for a long minute while his mind was trying to come up with an explanation for what she had just said. The reasonable part of his brain told him she was angry because he talked badly about the very person he intended to ask a favor from. Yet there still was that little crazy voice whispering she liked him enough to defend him, no matter how small and harmless she was. Rumplestiltskin immediately made it shut up. Still, he had entered into dangerous territory, and running away seemed the best course of action. He slowly got up from his chair.

“I'm sorry I offended you, milady,” he apologized with a bow. “I will stop bothering you.”

A few seconds after he started to walk away, Belle called him. When he turned around, he saw her biting her lips and staring at him from head to toe, as if she hesitated to do whatever she called him for.

“If your deal with Rumplestiltskin can really wait, then you can stay. But you'll have to peel the potatoes with me. Deal?”

Before he could think, he gave the answer his maid was expecting.

“Deal!”

It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't looked like a child caught elbow deep in the cookie jar. Belle's suspicious glare had immediately made him assume the worst. Suspicion left her face, but her glare was still very much here.

“Rumplestiltskin,” she said in her most threatening tone. “And to say I was worried about that poor man.”

“You shouldn't have, really. That prince is a moron.”

The outrage on Belle's face as she gaped at him was a rather bad sign. Coward or not, now was a good time to scarper.

“I'll, huh, leave you to your potatoes, then.”

The Dark One bravely transported himself out of the kitchen just in time to avoid the yellow vegetable thrown at him.

Once in the safety of his workroom, Rumplestiltskin sat at his spinning wheel. What could he possibly do to get that blasted cake? Puppy eyes didn't work and prince's shining smile failed miserably. If she liked things neither cute nor beautiful, then... Well then he should go himself.

This idea wasn't that stupid. If he waited long enough for Belle to stop being mad at him, he was pretty sure she'd forgive him for his earlier prank. She did forgive him for torturing a man, after all. But then what would he do? It has been a while since he last seduced a woman. And those women were really twisted. Not to mention he didn't care about them. If he failed, he could ruin their friendship. Although Belle didn't seem to be the kind to hold a grudge for too long, he wasn't eager to take that risk. Now that he thought about it, the worst situation was if he succeeded. What if she thought he was seriously seducing her? What she kissed him? With threats of hugs and idle touches which had become more and more frequent, Belle wasn't that far from taking another step into his personal space.

On the one hand, he was quite confident this plan could get him some cake. But on the other hand, it was quite dangerous, whatever the outcome. Somehow, he had to make it end with a piece of cake while avoiding slaps and kisses. His cowardly heart was racing at the very idea of accomplishing such a feat.

Rumplestiltskin thought very hard about nothing but the cake dripping with the chocolate he worked so hard to get. He could do it. He could do it for the cake. Before he changed his mind, he transported himself in the kitchen, right behind Belle. Without a second thought, he grabbed her waist. His maid yelped and instinctively tried to escape from his clutch. She nearly knocked over the pot of potatoes she was mashing before she saw who her assailant was.

“What are you doing?” she asked a laugh.

To Rumplestiltskin's surprise, Belle didn't try to escape again. She only blushed a bit and went back to work, as if it was a completely normal behavior for him. Now what? He hoped his improvisation skills would be enough to help him survive this encounter.

“Capturing you so you surrender and give me my cake,” he threatened her with a lot more self-confidence than he felt he had.

Belle shuddered at the proximity of his mouth to her ear. In turn, Rumplestiltskin has a hard time keeping his body still.

“You can wait for a long time, then. And to make things clear: it's my cake.”

The Dark One took this as an opportunity to release her. He covered his relief with a faked indignation and a loud scoff. His mouth opened to reminder her whose chocolate she used to bake, but he remembered how that argument ended. His plan was to seduce Belle into giving him the cake, not to shout at her until she throws the mashed potatoes in his face.

“Alright. Your cake,” he said, holding his hand up in surrender.

That got Belle suspicious again. He never thought he could get tired of her squinting at him, but right then he did. To avoid her eyes, he circled her and stopped close to her back, his front to her back, their bodies a breath away. It wouldn't be so hard without her blue eyes piercing right through his soul.

“No need to look at me like that, dearie,” he whispered in what he hoped was a seductive tone.

His mouth was so close to her ear that his crooked teeth could bite it in an instant. It really was tempting. To distract himself from his depraved thoughts, he took a small step back.

Belle immediately turned around and send him a positively devilish look. He wasn't used to being an object of physical passion, but he couldn't mistake the appreciation in her eyes as she undressed him in her head.

“Do you like that look better?”

Rumplestiltskin's cheek twitched. If she licked her lips, he would cover his body with his hands and run for the hills. It hadn't dealt for a maid, but a horny shark! He must have looked utterly stupid in his confusion and shock since he heard Belle laugh at him. The fearless woman didn't stop here. As she often did, she crossed the distance between them, and as she had never done before, she grabbed the lapels of his waistcoat. Though she was small, Belle had enough strength to tug a terrified Rumplestiltskin down to her. She didn't kiss him. She brushed her lips against his ear.

“I know what you had in mind, Rumple,” she whispered. “Two can play this game. You will apologize.”

Red alert! The poor Dark One was close to fainting. His lungs breathed too hard. His heart beat too fast. He had no idea what to do with his hands. Without thinking, his coward of a subconscious gave her what she wanted.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Belle, don't...”

His mouth started to make strange noises. He didn't know anymore if he was blushing because of his lust or his shame. Both. Both were true. At once, Belle released him and took a step back. The emptiness that followed was a relief as much as a disappointment. He seriously had to pull himself together.Although he feared it wouldn't happen anytime soon, not as long as he was in the same room as Belle was.

The moment he saw her face when she pulled away, he noticed how much his desperate plea hurt her. Her thin mirthless smile was an insult to her beautiful mouth. Her eyes which usually shone so bright they blinded him, were now locked to the ground and heavy with sorrow. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand stroked her cheek. Belle's head shot up to stare at Rumplestiltskin in wonder. His fingers slowly lowered to brush her hair before he put his hand in his back to make sure it wouldn't wander again. Perhaps it was because of his own confusion that she genuinely grinned at him. Apparently, she enjoyed it when he made a fool of himself. He grinned back at her.

“I couldn't take the risk of you turning me into a prince just yet. I still have a lot of work to do.”

His silly quip made her chuckle. He was glad they were on friendly terms again. This whole ordeal had turned his mind upside-down, let alone his poor old heart.

“I hope you at least have some time for a piece of cake. You deserve it, after all the trouble you went to get it.”

Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes at her, which made her laugh again. That was something he would never tire of. He followed her closely when she went to cut the cake. With a sharp long knife which was far too dangerous for his clumsy maid, she cut two generous pieces. The Dark One's eyes were torn between staring at his beautiful Belle and the magnificent cake. He couldn't wait for his teeth to sink in the chocolate confection. His maid caught his hungry look at the cake — hopefully, not his occasional glance at her — and took perverse pleasure in making him wait. Like an annoying cat, he stayed very close to her when she took the dessert plates from the work surface to the kitchen table. Once they sat with their plates in front of them and a spoon in their hands, Rumplestiltskin suddenly hesitated.

“It really looks perfect.”

“Thank you,” she said while blushing at his sincerity.

This unexpected compliment and turn of events gave her the courage to ask the question which she yearned to ask since their original argument over the cake.

“Why didn't you just use magic to steal it? I mean, it would have been a lot easier to just poof in the kitchen, grab the cake, and poof out.”

Rumplestiltskin was puzzled for a split second. He hoped she wouldn't have noticed, but Belle was so curious it was hopeless. Just like as whenever he wanted to hide something from her, he slipped into his imp character. Mischievous eyes, wide grin and restless hands were his best defense against her.

“Magic makes dairy curdle.”

The high-pitched chuckle he added did nothing to convince Belle who only squinted harder at him. He was proud he didn't give in this time. When his eyes went back to the cake, though, it reminded him she had also worked hard to put up with his stupid attempted theft.

“Magic may be a very useful tool, but it takes away the value of the simplest effort.”

It always took him back to his arguments with Bae. He would never let the Dark One take care of him, only his father. If he just had listened to him... Rumplestiltskin was pulled away from his dark thoughts by the touch of a compassionate hand on his scaly paw. He looked up to see bright blue eyes and a pleased grin.

“Then I'm glad you harassed me all day long.”

All Rumplestiltskin could do was send her a shy crooked smile before he looked down at his plate. He tried so hard not to show he liked her, and then he sabotaged his own plans. At least she was nice enough not to make him notice it. The way she smiled back at him made him think she didn't even mind it, the stupid crush of an old lizard.

Before he could read too much into this, he took a bite of his piece of cake. His eyes shut in pleasure as the rich sweet taste invaded his mouth and overloaded his senses with delight. Belle's soft chuckle interrupted his bliss. She was blushing, and looked quite proud of herself.

“You're right,” she said almost in a whisper, “efforts really are rewarding.”

He had no idea what she saw in him that was worth befriending, but he was glad she did. If Bae was still with him, he would have loved Belle like a mother.


End file.
